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Mar 06 2018

What you need to know when developing an app

The development of mobile apps in Dubai has recently undergone big changes. Companies now use mobile apps as a medium to raise their brand awareness.

The rising popularity of apps on smartphones have given companies ideas to engage with their audience, and opportunities to promote their products and business in an efficient way.

Developing an app it’s not as easy as it seems, designers & developers should use their creativity, forward-thinking, and focus on little details, to make the application more unique and outstanding.

A specific case when developing an app is incorporating the design of native/cross platform approaches. Each of them is different which lead to various results. And in order to expedite reciprocal understanding between the developer and the user, it’s important to know what both approaches give, their strong & weak sides.

~ NATIVE APPROACH

Native approaches are simply on every platform, from your default browser, emails, alarms, calendar and more.

They’re created by using programming languages as Java for Android or Objective- C/C++ for iOS, and have access on services like camera, notifications, and microphones.

Pros of using native development are:

-It doesn’t have limitations when it comes to app performance and speed. This is essential when developing an app that has intensive graphics, such as apps that are used by an enormous number or users, or game applications.

- You can employ advanced features Like Access on USB input, memory management, complex networking etc.

- You can customize the interface as you want, implement everything that an operating system of a mobile technology can give, and there’s no limitation in that.

-  Users are able to download the application from their native development stores like Google Play or App store, and shops are really interested more in users receiving high quality product, so they don’t miss when an app is the opposite of that, which is more likely when using cross platform development.

 Cons of using native development are:

- It takes more time to develop an app that will embrace for both platforms iOS and Android, as the process involves building two separate apps.

- Developing a separate application for each platform also requires more staff and it costs more money.

- When you develop an app, you also have to maintain it & always look for bugs and fix them, and for two platforms it takes twice the time and resources.

~ CROSS PLATFORM APPROACH

In the native development, the same app is developed separately for iOS and Android. In Cross-Platform approach we develop everything at once, and the app is able to work on multiple platforms like iOS, Android or Windows.

Here the programming languages are the same we use when developing a mobile website- HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Pros of using Cross platform are:

- You can use the same code for all platforms, instead of writing a different one for several applications. It’s easier to implement a feature for a single platform, that will work on all other ones.

- The multiple platform usability it’s not just easier, but also cost-effective. This approach doesn’t require the resources that a native approach does, so you’ll save more money when you don’t need a double team to work for a different coding.

Cons of using Cross platform are:

- When you develop a feature you expect that will work and be supported by all the platforms equally, but sometimes this approach may not give you the flexibility as native approaches give.

- It also has a lack of performance, comparing with native development.

- It takes time to get the authorization from the app stores.

 

After all this comparison about Native/Cross Platforms a big subject for discussion is about which operating systems we want to developing an app.

Choosing the best platforms is not easy, and it depends on many aspects that your app provides.

iOS and Android are main contenders that now represent more than 99% of all the mobile market, so all the mobile app agencies in Dubai are only focused on these two platforms when it comes to creating an app.

Here are some of the differences on iOS and Android that you need to know before you start developing an app:

Material design & Human interface design: If you’re designing an app for Android you must know that google created a design language that’s called Material Design. Apple on the other hand created Human Interface Design.

Cost: Android development is more time consuming & expensive than iOS, and the same app it costs 30% less for iOS.

Coding language: Android app development is based on working with JAVA language, which acquires a lot of code to be written. iOS applications are written on a specific language called Swift, a faster app is created because developers don’t need to write the amount of coding that’s required in JAVA.

Rejection of apps: App store has a review team that uses a manual approach when people but also automated tests check up on your app, and decide whether they will accept or reject your app on the App Store.

Google Play sticks only to automated tests so it’s more likely to miss some issues or bugs that an app has.

Wrapping it up

After understanding the differences, choosing the platform you want for your app it’s up to you and the budget you have as a company. They all have their pros and cons, but it’s important for you to have all your options on the table before making the last choice.

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